"Remember Naruto! The rasengan requires a balance of rotation and power! Too much of either and the jutsu would destabilize! The rasengan would probably just blow up with too much power into it...you are literally spinning extremely dense chakra into a small ball after all." Jiraiya explained while giving the boy a smug look, obviously seeking to be idolized for his deep explanation.
"Oh...ok I get it. Well then...what's the best that you can do, ero-sennin?" Naruto asked in curiousity.
The great toad sage just grinned. "With my full power...I can make the Chōōdama Rasengan! With the size of it...I can destroy average-sized mountains without a problem!"
He was neglecting to mention that he needed Sage Mode to do that, but he wanted some respect.
"Bullshit." Naruto replied bluntly while picking his nose in utter disrespect.
"...Why you damn brat!"
"Better than being a stupid pervert!"
Back in the present, Naruto smiled at the memories.
But he shouldn't dwell.
He now knew that the size of the rasengan...much more than anything else...helped define how powerful it was. From what he heard while at Mount Myōboku...ero-sennin needed Sage Mode to use that variant of the jutsu.
But Naruto? He had the sheer chakra to pull it off.
But he needed more practice with the regular rasengans first...to practice getting both steps of the jutsu for larger variants. He would have to start with it by himself, it was a personal thing.
Mio was staring at the blond as he was contemplating on what to do. Taking note on just how seriously...as well as how far he was taking his training.
But something was nagging at her, deep inside as she watched her 'brother' go through such lengths. Why would he...?
"Naruto." Mio said quietly, the statement broke the blond out of his trance in order to glance at her.
Before he could even ask what was wrong, she asked her question.
"Naruto...why do you try so hard for? What pushes you to keep going?" Mio asked, wondering...
What inspired him?
The shinobi blinked at the question, before giving her a grin. "Why? Well...it's for the sake of those who I consider precious of course."
"...Precious?" the half-devil asked in amazement. That was...such an incredibly nice thing to refer to someone. As someone precious...like some sort of diamond that one would guard with everything they have.
Naruto nodded. "Yep! I have people that I have to protect, no matter what. So I have to get strong enough to protect all of them with the strength that I have...but the strength that I have isn't enough yet. So I will continue to train until I'm positive that I can protect everyone that I care about."
Mio stared at him, wishing to ask more. Wishing to learn more about the enigma that was near her.
What he wanted wasn't too strange or interesting in of itself, it was more...how he said it and how he referred to phrases that most people used...like loved ones for example.
Most people wouldn't call their loved ones precious...
The total belief that the blond said his words was what really made them extraordinary.
"...Precious people...like you Mio." Naruto said quietly, a soft smile adorning his face. Warm eyes giving her a clue on just how honest his words were...
...Oh dear.
She felt her face flush, that was possibly one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to her.
She couldn't bear looking at the blond's impossibly blue...so blue...eyes any longer. She turned away in a huff and stared off into the forest.
The shinobi was confused at this reaction, but shrugged his shoulders. He never really understood the other gender very well.
All was silent for a while as the whiskered teen focused on his training again and kept creating rasengans with one hand...or sometimes two hands.
All the while his 'sister' was staring at him again from the side of her eye.
...She wanted to say something. No...rather she needed to say something. Something she should have done far more often before.
Maybe that little tidbit about the blond inspired her to try and share a bit of herself to him, or maybe this was just long overdue.
Either way...
"Naruto...can I confide in you for a moment?" Mio asked seriously, prepping herself for a very serious admission.
The shinobi stopped his training again, willing to listen to whatever she had to say. Especially when considering how serious she sounded.
"It's about...what happened with my parents. I'd just like to talk to you. You don't have to say anything...just listen...please." the teenaged girl asked quietly.
Naruto nodded solemnly, eyes urging her to continue.
"...When my parents were killed by devils, I was intent on hunting down those responsible and making them pay..." Mio began, referencing the fact that her parents were killed by devils.
"But I couldn't, the people who killed my parents weren't people who were a part of an evil group of villains that were plotting behind the scenes…they were mostly civilians..." she continued, trying to ignore the painful feeling welling up inside her heart.
"People who lived life normally as devils and just so happened to hate the last child of Lucifer as well...I just couldn't do it." she said, before stopping. The emotions were beginning to overwhelm her...the lumpy feeling in her throat was beginning to become overwhelming.
She felt someone place a comforting hand on her shoulder, pulling her into his embrace.
She found the strength to continue.
"So after a while...instead of living for some purpose...for some goal...I just began living for the sake of living. Staying alive for the sake of staying alive. No real purpose...I just kept living...for no reason. Afraid to connect with others...even Maria." Mio said quietly, gripping the blond's clothes tightly in her emotional state.
"...But then you came along Naruto..." she continued, the lump in her throat and the gripping feeling on her heart...lessening as she continued.
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